


A Way Out

by MaliceManaged



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Captivity, Dubious Morality, Escape, Fluff, Gen, Kidnapping, Light Angst, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-23 11:49:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9656285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaliceManaged/pseuds/MaliceManaged
Summary: Sometimes, a moment's whim can have more far-reaching consequences than you expect. Sometimes, a moment's whim can save your life, in more ways than one...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Somehow it makes sense to my mind to write new stories instead of working on any of my existing ones. I... I don't even. I'm sorry. I hope you enjoy this regardless.

    The sounds of a struggle filled the halls as she tried to kick, claw and bite her way out of her captor’s grasp. Unsuccessfully, but at least she was trying. A small comfort as she was tossed onto a mattress on the floor and chained to the wall by a cuff around her ankle.

 

    “You can’t just keep me here! I want to go home!” She screamed, not caring if she sounded like a child. She was angry and scared; she figured it was her right.

 

    “This _is_ your home now, pet,” Her captor replied in what she supposed was an attempt to sound soothing, but was _really_ not. He went to caress her cheek and she turned her head and bit his hand as hard as she could, causing him to cry out in pain and pull his hand back. He raised it as though to slap her but paused and took a calming breath before lowering it to his side. “You’ll come to see things my way.”

 

    With that, he turned and left the room, locking the door behind him. She stared at the door for a while, her mind playing catch-up to everything that had just happened. How could everything have gone so wrong so quickly? Her day had started out so well, and now here she was, chained to a wall in the hands of a lunatic whose intentions she still didn’t know. Wasn’t really sure she _wanted_ to know.

 

    She turned and grabbed the chain close to the wall, beginning to pull in the hope it might give way. When that didn’t work, she examined the cuff to see if there was any way to unlock it, but she couldn’t even figure out _where_ it locked; it seemed to be a band of solid metal. If only she hadn’t been too distracted to see how he’d put it on her. She looked around the room for something, anything, she could use. The room was barely furnished, with just the mattress she was on, a dark wooden wardrobe and a tall floor-mounted mirror, and there was a slightly open door to one side she figured (hoped) was a bathroom.

 

    The windows had heavy drapes covering most of them, with only a slight gap in one letting in the moonlight; the only lighting otherwise came from a few wall-mounted candles. As the full gravity of her situation sunk in, she felt tears form at the corner of her golden eyes. She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them, letting the sobs come.

 

 

******

 

 

    Loki wandered aimlessly, letting his thoughts drift much the same. After all, there wasn’t much else one could do when one found themselves trapped in a prison of interconnected mirrors. He barely even looked at the rooms the mirrors were placed in; he knew them all by heart by now, down to the most boring detail.

 

    Bored. There was a word he didn’t think he’d come to associate with captivity. But he _was_ bored.

 

    When the man who’d put him in there had actually managed to catch him off guard enough to do so, he figured he had plans for him, be it for his power or his knowledge. But it seemed he was wrong; he seemed to be little more than a trophy of some sort.

 

    Frankly, Loki found that deeply insulting. Not to mention wasteful.

 

    As he walked past one of the mirrors, he suddenly paused mid-step. Was that... was that _weeping?_ He backed up to the glass and looked into the room, blinking a few times before confirming that, yes; that was certainly what appeared to be a young woman of pale skin and long black hair curled up on the mattress crying with such despair, it cut past his general apathy to everything these days and made him feel something disturbingly close to sympathy. As he noticed the heavy-looking chain trailing out from under her black skirts and leading to the wall, he felt a curious flash of anger.

 

    Well, then.

 

    He considered it for a moment before mentally shrugging; it wasn’t as though he had anything better to do.

 

    “Well, this is quite a predicament you find yourself in,” He spoke up, causing her to start and look up around the room until her eyes landed on the mirror.

 

    She stared at him for a moment before responding. “Thanks; I hadn’t noticed.”

 

    A corner of his lips twitched upwards. He tilted his head to the side a bit and narrowed his eyes at her, examining her closely. “What _could_ he want with you?” He wondered aloud. “Our... _host_... seems quite fond of collecting powerful beings; for what purpose, if there even is one, I’ve no idea. What would he need _you_ for?”

 

    “Well, _I_ don’t know!” She cried, throwing her hands up helplessly, “I’m nothing special; there are plenty of other dragons far stronger than me.”

 

    Loki blinked. “I’m sorry... did you say _dragon?”_

 

    She smiled wryly. “Not much to look at, am I?”

 

    “That’s... not how I would put it,” He replied, eyeing her appreciatively. “It’s just... Well, I’ve read stories of dragons’ ability for shapeshifting, of course, but there’s so little to support it, I thought it just that: Stories.”

 

    “Not _all_ dragons can,” She explained. “I’ve only just learnt it myself recently. And most that do learn, are careful not to get caught. I wasn’t,” She added then let out a humourless laugh. “You reach a few centuries and you think you know everything.” She shook her head with a sigh. “My mother would be so disappointed in me right now.”

 

    “I know a thing or two about disappointed parents,” He said, a trace of bitterness in his voice, “In the end, they don’t truly matter; just try not to disappoint yourself.”

 

   She picked up the chain and rattled it a bit. “A little late for _that,_ I think,” She replied ruefully.

 

    “Maybe it doesn’t have to be,” He mused thoughtfully. “Tell me; do the tales of dragons’ magickal abilities hold any truth to them?”

 

    “Of course!” She replied, slightly indignant, dropping the chain.

 

    “Do you have access to it?” He asked, trying not to let his amusement at her reaction show. Her expression was incredibly familiar.

 

    “I don’t know,” She replied. She held her hand up and conjured a ball of fire then looked back at him. “I guess I do.”

 

    “Good; now it’s only a matter of finding something we can use,” He said. He looked down in thought for a moment before looking back up. “Can you conjure ice as well as fire?”

 

    She looked at him confusedly. “Well, yes, but why?”

 

    “Have you ever seen what happens to metal when it is frozen?” He asked with a half grin that got bigger when he saw the realisation dawn on her face. “I’m Loki, by the way,” He added as a bit of an afterthought.

 

    “I’m Ayrialenne,” She replied with a small smile.

 

    “A pleasure,” He said with a slight bow of his head. “Now then, Ayrialenne; let’s see if we can get you out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave a comment!!
> 
>  
> 
> No, but seriously guys, please comment. This author is in desperate need of validation, and is not above begging for it at this point.
> 
>  
> 
> I mean it. I'll beg.


	2. Chapter 2

    It took a bit longer than she would have liked to get the right temperature, but eventually with a sharp blow that may or may not have left a small bruise, the cuff lay in pieces on the floor. Ayrialenne had to stop herself from letting out a cheer at the small victory; she still had to find her way out, which would likely be no easy feat as Loki was quick to point out.

 

    They had an advantage, ironic as it was, in the form of Loki’s prison. There were, of course, many rooms with no mirrors that he’d never seen, but that still left quite a wide area he could cover and in turn guide her through. For practicality’s sake, Loki went ahead and Ayrialenne kept an eye and ear out for any trouble behind them; she hoped there wouldn’t be any, given that she was essentially on her own on that front and there was only so much she could fight against in her current form.

 

    “Why don’t you simply change back?” Loki asked as he led her though a hallway conveniently full of mirrors, “A dragon would be particularly useful right about now.”

 

    “I’m _always_ a dragon, even in this form,” Ayrialenne snapped. “And don’t you think if I _could_ change back, I wouldn’t have done it by now? He... _did something_ to me, and now I’m stuck like _this,”_ She added, looking down at her current form almost distastefully. “If I had known it would bring me this much grief, I never would have done this to myself.”

 

    Loki motioned her to stop before she turned a corner and stepped out of sight as he went on ahead. He returned a few moments later and urged her on. “For whatever it’s worth,” He began as she ducked into a room he pointed her towards and closed the door behind her, “Your current form isn’t half bad.”

 

    Ayrialenne looked down at herself then back up at him, fully taking in his appearance for the first time. “Maybe not to _you,”_ She replied, “I find this terribly impractical, slow and fragile. And I miss my wings.”

 

    “Why learn to shift if all you’re going to do is complain about it?” Loki scoffed.

 

    Ayrialenne’s face reddened slightly. “I... I don’t see how that’s any of your business!”

 

    “Well, seeing as I _am_ helping you escape and all...”

 

    Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why _are_ you helping me? What do you get out of it?”

 

    A careless shrug. “In case you haven’t noticed; I’m trapped in a network of mirrors. That doesn’t leave me with much in the way of entertainment. The way I see it, helping you might be a fun distraction; and if along the way it causes our host grief, all the better.”

 

    “So you’re helping me... because you’re _bored?”_

 

    “Essentially, yes.”

 

    Ayrialenne gave him an odd look. “How... long have you... been here, exactly?”

 

    “Honestly, I stopped keeping track after the tenth month; it was having... _effects_ on my general state of mind,” Loki replied with a bit of a faraway look in his eyes. When he looked back to her, he was met with a look of sympathy, and he forced a blank expression on his face. “We should keep moving before someone notices your disappearance.”

 

    “Right,” Ayrialenne replied, remembering the situation.

 

 

******

 

 

    They met with surprisingly little resistance, with only a few guards that were easily enough dispatched with what magick Ayrialenne had access to; it seemed their host, as they had unanimously decided to call him, wasn’t really expecting anyone to be much trouble. She rather surprised Loki with her utter lack of reluctance or hesitation in killing them before he remembered that she was a dragon, and as such was a natural, and deadly, predator.

 

    There were times when they had to separate, as there were no mirrors for him, and he would have to wait in what he hoped was the nearest one to where she would emerge; they did get turned around a few times and would lose each other and have to go looking, but otherwise had no trouble making their way. It was as they approached what Ayrialenne recognised as where she was brought in that that changed.

 

    “Well, this is... a disappointing surprise,” The host said with a frown, looking between them briefly before his eyes settled on Ayrialenne, “I had hoped you would come around on your own.”

 

    “‘Come around’?” Ayrialenne said incredulously, “You _kidnapped_ me, _crippled_ me and _chained me_ to a _wall!_ What part of that exactly was supposed to make me even _like_ you, much less cooperate?”

 

    “Cripple you? I would never do such a thing,” The host replied, seeming genuinely offended by the notion, “I have every intention of undoing the restrictions I placed on your magick, as soon as you joined me.”

 

    “I will _never_ join you,” Ayrialenne spat then took a small glass orb from within her bodice and smashed it on the floor in front of her.

 

    It had taken quite a bit of searching, as it had been moved from where Loki had last seen it, but as the portal opened at her feet he knew the delay had been worth it. More so at the scream of anger the host let out as she stepped into it, and watching it close before he could follow. The host looked up at Loki accusingly and Loki smirked.

 

    “ _You._ You did this,” The host half-growled, walking up to the mirror.

 

    “Oh, yes,” Loki confirmed smugly.

 

    “Why?”

 

    “Why ever not?”

 

    The host let out a frustrated growl and turned, making his way further into the building. Loki followed, fully intending to witness as much of his captor’s displeasure as he could; this was the most fun he’d had in weeks and he was not going to let it go easily.

 

    “What use could you have had for her?” Loki asked after a while, causing the host to slow his steps a bit and glance over at him, “There are other dragons.”

 

    “But none as beautiful.”

 

    “Or as easily captured, I’d wager. She’s not old enough to have better sense, clearly. However did you manage to bind her magick?”

 

    The host scoffed. “That was easy; I simply tricked her into stepping into a binding circle.” He rounded to face Loki. “Why did you interfere? What possible benefit could that be to you?”

 

    “You trapped me in here with nothing to do; what did you expect would happen? And besides, how could I possibly have walked away from such a lovely creature?”

 

    “You’ll never see her again, you know,” The host sneered, “She won’t look back.”

 

    “Of course she won’t,” Loki replied matter-of-factly, “That wasn’t the point.”

 

    “Then what was?”

 

    Loki grinned. “It was fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You ever have one of those moments when you realise you're probably not quite right in the head? I bet Loki has a lot of those. XD


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to write today, but so far it's looking like it's one of those days, so here's a chapter I've been meaning to proof read and post all weekend. If ya'll catch any errors I didn't, feel free to point them out to me; I got tired of looking at the words.

    As soon as her feet were back on solid ground, Ayrialenne looked around her to try and figure out where she was; the orb was meant to take her to a destination of her choosing, but there was always a certain margin of error, plus she’d been in a bit of a rush and so had perhaps not concentrated as well as she should have. She was off by a few miles from where she’d intended but her surroundings were definitely familiar; the small forest that surrounded the mountain range her mother had settled in, though much bigger than she remembered, was still a much welcome sight.

 

    Running, she decided, was not as efficient as flying, but it got the job done. She could have done without the branches snagging on her dress slowing her down even more, though. Finally she made it through the woods, only to find a new obstacle in the unforgiving rock that made up the mountain face. Climbing, she found, was worse than running; the rocks were rough and sharp and her skin was, well, skin.

 

    “How in the world do people get by without scales?” Ayrialenne grumbled, letting out a hiss of pain at the cut a rock left on her palm as she grasped it to haul herself up.

 

    What felt like an eternity later, she made it to one of the small tunnels she had found as a child. It had been sheer boredom that led her there and she couldn’t be more grateful for it now; there was no way she’d be able to climb the mountain all the way and the tunnels led right to the nest. She just hoped that they hadn’t changed much and she could remember the way.

 

    Her sense of smell was more muted than she was used to, but the scent of home still filled her with an elation that was almost overwhelming. She hadn’t even been gone that long; at most maybe three days, and only two of those had been spent in captivity. Still, she was _home._

 

    She’d barely stepped out of the tunnel when a shadow fell over her as a large crimson dragon blocked her path and she looked up. “Mother!” She breathed out in relief, running over and latching herself onto one of her mother’s front legs.

 

    “Ayria where have you been? And _what_ have you done to yourself?” Her mother half-demanded even as she nuzzled her clearly distressed child soothingly.

 

    “I messed up. I didn’t listen to you, mama; I’m so sorry!” Ayrialenne apologise through a sudden bout of tears.

 

    “There, there,” Her mother hushed, curling around her protectively as she used to do when she was an infant. When the crying finally quieted to sniffles, she lifted Ayrialenne’s face gently with a claw before brushing the back of it over her cheek to wipe the tears away, causing her to nuzzle it gratefully. “Now, tell me what happened.”

 

 

******

 

 

    It took several days for Ayrialenne to settle back into herself after her mother had unravelled the binding spell, during which she refused to leave the nest, but finally the call of the skies was too much and she found she had to fly. She soared for miles, flying up as high as she could go before diving down so low her tail left trails as she levelled out and flew back up.

 

    She spotted a herd of grazing beasts and realised she was really quite hungry. Her golden eyes locked onto her target and she dove towards it, the sight of the frightened animals scrambling to get away filling her with unadulterated glee. Racing after her prey, Ayrialenne snatched it easily in her jaws, feeling the familiar crunch as she clamped her mouth shut. She flew to a nearby lake to eat, scaring away the wildlife in the immediate area.

 

    It was as she was drinking for the lake and caught sight of her reflection in the water that her mind drifted to Loki. She wondered how he was. She thought about how he had helped her escape (because he was bored, if he was to be believed) despite the fact that doing so held no real advantage for him; in fact it was more likely to cause more trouble for him, depending on how angry their captor was over it.

 

    Ayrialenne considered her options for a moment before rising and taking to the air once more, turning in a direction to the west and flying off. She didn’t know if she would find the answers she sought there, but she owed him at least an attempt of help.

 

    Her father was the one who had inspired her to learn shapeshifting, as he was quite fond of the craft. He was also a rather renowned sorcerer in several worlds, that of course had no idea what he truly was, and had as such amassed quite a bit of magickal knowledge and, more importantly, books and scrolls on the subject. While he kept stashes of tomes all over where he frequented, the bulk of them were in his nest; she just hoped he’d come across the information she needed, and if so, that it was there.

 

    Ayrialenne let out a roar as she neared the abandoned castle her father nested in to announce her presence then landed before the gates to wait for him. Some minutes later the gates opened and she ducked under the archway and walked into the courtyard, where a tall man with long black hair and yellow eyes stood waiting for her with a smile on his face.

 

    “Ayria! To what do I owe this visit from my favourite daughter?” He greeted, caressing her muzzle as she ducked down to greet him.

 

    “Father; I’m you _only_ daughter,” Ayrialenne sighed.

 

    “That we know of, dear; I _do_ get around,” Her father countered with a wide grin, earning an eye roll he chuckled at. “Now, how can I help you?”

 

    Ayrialenne stepped back and shifted into her human form. “I need a book you hopefully have,” She replied.

 

    Her father looked her up and down. “Not bad, but you need to work on being comfortable in that skin,” He appraised before offering her his arm. Once she took it, he led her up to the front doors and waved a hand over them, causing them to glow briefly. When they opened, they led into the library and he walked in with her. “What do you need to know about?”

 

    “Mirrors,” Ayrialenne replied, “Specifically, how to trap someone in them, and more importantly, how to free them.”

 

    “Made a friend, have you?” Her father asked knowingly.

 

    Ayrialenne looked away, biting her lower lip. “Maybe...”

 

    “Well, then; I suppose we’d better get to work.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to anyone waiting for my other fics; it seems my muse and my ADHD can’t play nice and I can’t focus long enough to continue writing them. I’m really sorry and I hope you can bear with me. *offers virtual apology cookies*

    His prison had shrunk, left down to one lone mirror. He supposed it was meant to be a punishment for misbehaving, but frankly he couldn’t bring himself to care much. Instead he entertained himself with antagonising the host whenever he came into the room, which for some reason was quite often.

 

    Loki was beginning to suspect the man just liked the abuse. Either way, it gave him something to do.

 

    He thought about Ayrialenne occasionally, wondering if she’d made it home. He hoped so; _one_ of them had to. Still, he wished he’d had more of a chance to talk to her. He did get lonely with no one to talk to - at least, no one he _liked_ \- and there was so much he could learn from her; things few, if any, knew about dragons. And if there was one thing Loki loved, it was knowing something others didn’t.

 

    He pulled his hand out from where it was tucked between his head and the floor he was stretched out on and raised it up, watching the fog-like surroundings weave through his fingers lazily. He missed food, he decided. The very energy that kept him trapped there also kept his body well nourished, and so he hadn’t actually eaten in a very long time. When he got out of there, the first thing he would do was have a proper meal.

 

    Well, the second thing, anyway. The _first_ thing he would do would be to tear the host to shreds. Possibly with his bare hands. He hadn’t decided yet.

 

    He lowered his hand to his side and sat up, pulling up his knees and resting his arms over them. It could be his imagination running away with him _again_ , but he could swear he heard a slight commotion somewhere outside the room. He waited a moment and sure enough, there were the sounds of a slight struggle outside the door. Curious, he leaned forward, hoping whatever was going on would spill into the room. He needed a distraction, for sanity’s sake.

 

    Before long, the door shattered into the room under the weight of the body thrown against it, and some moments after Ayrialenne walked in, surprising him. She had changed her dress for armour that seemed made of black scales and in her right hand she held a sword of black metal, but it was definitely her. She looked around until she spotted him then went over to stand before the mirror.

 

    “Miss me?” She asked with a grin, and damned if she didn’t look equal parts lovely and fierce with the blood that had sprayed on her face.

 

    “Perhaps a little,” He replied with an answering smirk.

 

    “You might want to step back,” She warned, pulling a dark blue crystal out of a pouch on her belt and holding it against the mirror.

 

    Once Loki stood and did as she asked, she closed her eyes and concentrated then pushed the crystal into the mirror. It melted into the glass, causing it to ripple, and she stepped back and shielded her face with her arm just before it exploded into dust. When it settled, Loki stepped out of the empty frame and held his hands out in front of him. He could feel his power flowing through him again, and it positively ached for release of a most destructive nature.

 

    He had a few ideas about that.

 

    He looked down at Ayrialenne, who was watching him with a bit of a smile, and grinned in a not at all innocent way. “Shall we?”

 

    She followed behind him as he laid waste to anything and anyone unfortunate enough to be in his way. When she had mentioned his name to her father, she found he had heard of him and warned her not to cross him; now she better understood why. She contributed most of the destruction to anger and restlessness, but it didn’t take away the fact that here was a very powerful being. She wasn’t afraid of him, exactly, simply held a respect for how dangerous he obviously could be; much like the wiser people held towards her own kind.

 

    It wasn’t long before most of the facility was reduced to rubble, with the smarter of the other former prisoners having fled at the sight of the angry god, and they stood in what was left of the front entrance. They had yet to run into the host, which was... well, disappointing. She considered telling him to leave it be and just look for him later, but thought better of it.

 

    _She_ wanted to kill the man, and _she_ hadn’t been trapped there for likely more than a year.

 

    Loki took a moment to close his eyes and tip his head back, breathing in his first lungful of actual air in so long and letting it out almost reluctantly. He breathed deeply once more then opened his eyes and looked back down, sensing what she had only moments before herself.

 

    “Here I was beginning to think I’d have to leave without saying goodbye,” He said with mock regret as he looked at the host, who seemed more than a little worried, “And wouldn’t that be a shame.”

 

    “So, you got out; good for you,” The host said, trying to put on a brave face.

 

    “To be fair, I had help,” Loki replied, stepping aside enough to reveal Ayrialenne, who waved her fingers at him. He began to walk towards the host, who responded by trying to back away only to find he couldn’t move. “I commend your work on that prison; it was very well crafted,” He praised, coming to a halt mere inches away from the other man and grinning maliciously, “But clearly not good enough...”

 

    With that, he got to work, making good on his earlier decision. Ayrialenne sat to watch curiously, her eyes widening more than once, impressed. She had never quite seen joints bent in _that_ direction before; judging by the screams, it had to hurt quite a bit. She had to hand it to him; he was certainly creative. And a lot stronger than he appeared to be. And quite vicious, she realised; the host _really_ should have died by now...

 

    By the time he was finally done, there wasn’t much left that was recognisably a person and he was absolutely covered in blood. He looked over at her and grinned, obviously proud of his work, and she couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. She stood and walked off to a spot that was mostly clear and he observed her curiously. Concentrating, she shed her human form and turned back into herself before his eyes, and he regarded the black dragon standing easily three feet taller than him impressed.

 

    She crouched down onto her stomach and looked over at him. “Coming?” She asked, gesturing to her back.

 

    “Since you offer,” He replied, walking up to her and climbing on, settling on her shoulders just above her wings.

 

    It took her a moment, as she had never carried a passenger before, but before long she stretched her wings out and took to the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because it's just not a prison break unless someone dies horribly. Or is that just me?
> 
> Eh, whatever. I considered going into more detail, but it was three in the morning and I really just wanted to go to bed, so. XD


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot I wrote this chapter as soon as I finished the last one, it just needed to be proof read. I am not good at things. XD

    He was full of questions, she soon discovered; some more... invasive than others, though he learned to keep those to himself after she snapped her jaws in the general direction of his head. A god he might be, but there had to be lines. In the end she decided to take him to meet her father, figuring they would both enjoy a mutual exchange of knowledge; he struck her as the type to like conversing with other intelligent beings, and her father was certainly that.

 

    It was that, or she would drop him several hundred feet to the ground, and that would just be rude.

 

    Once introductions had been made her father amusedly offered Loki a bath and led the way, leaving her to wander the castle alone. Before learning to shapeshift, she’d never understood why her father chose to nest there, but now she was beginning to see the appeal. She still preferred her mother’s nest, though, if only for the familiarity.

 

    Hours of intense conversation later, Loki was pointedly reminded that he needed to eat again now and he and Ayrialenne left the castle to hunt, though he found he needn’t have bothered as she did all the work herself. Quite happily, too. He was glad not to have been the prey.

 

    After dinner, Ayrialenne’s father offered them both rooms, though she chose to join him out in the grounds, curling up to him once they returned to their natural forms. Loki watched them from the window of the room he’d chosen with a slight smile then went to lie down. Half an hour later, he was still staring up at the ceiling. He was definitely tired, but he couldn’t sleep, though the reason eluded him. He got up and paced the length of the room a few times before it occurred to him what the problem was.

 

    There wasn’t enough room.

 

    Oh, sure, the bedroom itself was quite big, but it had walls and a ceiling. It had _limits._

 

    With a frustrated sigh, he turned and walked out of the room and made his way through the halls with decreasing patience until he found the grounds. He looked over to Ayrialenne and her father then dismissed the idea before it even fully formed and walked off in the opposite direction. Once he found a spot that was to his liking, he settled on the surprisingly soft grass and looked up at the faraway skies, breathing out in what he would never admit was relief.

 

    He had almost drifted off, when a shadow fell over him and he opened his eyes to find Ayrialenne next to him. She nudged him into sitting up with her muzzle then settled behind him, curling around him without a word. Just as silently he lay back again, his head resting on a spot near her heart, and let her heartbeats lull him to sleep at last.

 

 

******

 

 

    “Dammit, Loki; the tail isn’t there for decoration, it’s to help you steer!” Ayrialenne scolded as the larger black and green streaked dragon nearly crashed into her for the fourth time.

 

    “You’ve had yours all your life; I’ve had mine for an hour!” Loki retorted irritably, though he wasn’t sure if he was more annoyed with her scolding him, or his own struggling.

 

    It all began when Ayrialenne’s father had set Loki loose in his library as a way of apologising; they had agreed to discuss some things, but he’d had a matter come up that required his immediate attention. The look on the Trickster’s face made Ayrialenne think her father’s idea was maybe not a very good one, and she stood by that assessment when he came looking for her and all but dragged her to the grounds with him.

 

    On the one hand his obvious excitement as he attempted to learn how to shapeshift into a dragon was quite endearing, but on the other hand she then found herself having to teach him how to _not_ kill himself being one. And then he insisted on learning how to fly. She’d had her reservations naturally, but the downright pleading nature of his insistence was hard to refuse. She wondered if that was how her mother felt when she had begged for her own lessons.

 

    As he nearly collided with her again she snapped at him, causing him to quickly, if somewhat clumsily, veer away. “There; that wasn’t so difficult, was it?”

 

    He snarled at her and she snapped at him again with a low growl, catching his shoulder and making him lose his carefully acquired balance and fall a few feet before he could right himself.

 

    “You are not my parent; don’t _ever_ growl at me,” She warned bitingly.

 

    “Point taken,” He replied coolly, steering himself a safer distance away from her. He was beginning to see what her father had told him about the aggressiveness of female dragons, and made a mental note not to forget again.

 

    It took another hour, but he learned to carry himself far more gracefully, even when she lunged at him suddenly to test his reflexes. When she told him they were landing sometime later he began to protest until she purposefully crashed into him, causing him to plummet quite a distance before he could get his tired muscles to catch him, after which he reluctantly followed her to the ground. She led him to a lake so that they could sate their thirst then he shifted back to himself and all but collapsed on the grass, physically exhausted but feeling more at peace than he had in some time.

 

    “How can you come down?” Loki asked almost wistfully as she sat down beside him, earning a chuckle.

 

    “We don’t really have much of a choice,” Ayrialenne replied amusedly then her leaned head down. “But why do you think we nest in mountains and towers?” She added conspiratorially and he laughed. “You get used to it after a time; which by no means diminishes the joy, but you’ll be less reluctant to land.”

 

    They were silent for a while until he turned to her and placed his hand on one of her claws to get her attention. “I’m sorry about before.”

 

    “No, you’re not; you’re sorry I almost took your head off for it,” She scoffed before nuzzling his head lightly to show all was forgiven.

 

    “Well, perhaps mainly that,” He admitted with a grin, “But the insult was not meant; I would have to blame cultural differences and my own temper.”

 

    “As long as it doesn’t happen again,” Ayrialenne said absently, lying down with a yawn and resting her head on her front paws.

 

    Before long she dozed off, the steady sound of her breathing compounded with his own tiredness beginning to drag Loki with her. Before he drifted off he glanced over at her and couldn’t help but to smile to himself.

 

    He found a way out, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact!: In some cultures and spiritual beliefs; dragons symbolize protection.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave a comment!!
> 
>  
> 
> No, but seriously guys, please comment. This author is in desperate need of validation, and is not above begging for it at this point.
> 
>  
> 
> I mean it. I'll beg.


End file.
